


Playing With Fire

by RikaRose



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Arguing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-08-01 11:09:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16283492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikaRose/pseuds/RikaRose
Summary: There had always been something special about their friendship, but she never thought she'd start feeling more especially when she's engaged to another man. Now she's confused and almost wishing he wasn't her partner for the next several weeks, something she would have killed for only a few months ago.





	1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: damn that mixed match challenge, can't get it out of my head now, spawning all sorts of ideas. This is the closest I will ever get to talking about their real life relationships on here, I still don't use names, but it's kind of obvious this time. 

...

"That was so much fun!" Bayley said as the two of them stumbled back through gorilla and the backstage area. She felt so happy with the way things had gone and how useful she'd been able to be, and okay, maybe a little embarrassed too about accidently groping him, but mostly happy.

"Damn that felt good. You were amazing, just like old times, huh?"

"Yeah, it really did feel like we brought a little of NXT back there for a second."

"It did, I don't think I've had this much fun on here in a long time."

"Me either, thank you Finn. I know you asked for this, and I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. As much as I like Sasha, I knew no one could make a better team than the two of us, and I'm glad we finally made it happen."

"Me too. Hey, you want to go out and celebrate tonight?"

"I wish I could, but I've got some stuff to take care of. Can we tomorrow night after everything instead?"

"Yeah of course. You want me to see if I can get a group together?"

"We can do the group thing another time, it's been a while since we got to hang out just the two of us, if you're okay with that."

"No, that would be great. I'll be looking forward to it," she replied before she instinctively went in for a hug. There was an awkward half second where she realized what she was doing and started to pull back away before he grabbed her and pulled her in against him, enveloping her in his strong arms. It felt nice. It had been too long since she'd felt this kind of closeness with him. A long time ago this had been a normal part of their friendship, but then life had happened. They'd been on different shows, he was injured, then she was injured, and they'd drifted apart. They'd also both had to deal with jealousy and suspicions from their significant others, which hadn't helped matters.

They hadn't talked about it much, but she'd known that his girlfriend at the time had objected to some of the things he'd posted on social media. She'd been friends with her too, or at least she'd thought they were, but after her's and Finn's on stage story became more romantic, it was like they'd never even spoken before. She'd assumed jealousy was the problem, but she'd tried to stay out of it. 

She'd been dealing with a similar situation of her own, and she hadn't had the time to worry about Finn's problems too. Her boyfriend kept fluctuating between seemingly having a good sense of humor about it and being completely irrational over it. One minute she'd think everything was good, then he'd see a post or a video, and turn into a jealous asshole. 

It almost hadn't been worth it, except they'd had so much fun together. That time period was absolutely the best she'd had so far in her career, and the bond between them was something neither ever expected. They'd never crossed a line, had always been nothing more than good friends, but they'd clicked in a way that she never had before with anyone, male or female, including her boyfriend, and she suspected he'd known that. She'd let him get away with treating her like shit on a few too many occasions because deep down she'd felt kind of guilty even though she had no control over it.

Things had improved immensely with her boyfriend after Finn had been drafted, and the few occasions she'd gotten to interact with Finn over the last couple of years hadn't seemed to be a problem. She'd learned to stand up for herself a little better too, stopped letting guilt prevent her from speaking her mind, and their relationship had gotten ten times better for it. She'd accepted his proposal, and even moved halfway across the country with him so he could work on his career. For the most part life had been alright, though not quite the same as it had been back then.

She'd never regained that same magic with her now fiance that they'd had before they'd moved to Florida, and sometimes he seemed to resent how well her career had gone compared to his. He'd asked her to marry him, but then refused to talk about setting a date or making plans for the future. He kept using the excuse of her career, which she was still struggling to understand. There were scores of couples in the wrestling business who managed to get married and maintain careers, but he wouldn't even consider it.

As far as Finn and his girlfriend, she honestly wasn't sure. She hadn't pried, but the rumor in the lockerroom was that things had been rocky for them for several months and that they'd finally broken up a little while ago. He hadn't shown any indication that he wanted talk about it, so she'd left the subject alone.

Finn and her parted ways, but she hadn't made it very far down the hall when she realized she'd forgotten to ask him about what they planned to do the next night for their commenting section. She decided she could probably catch him and turned back around, but before she found him she heard voices arguing.

"You're full of shit, you know that right?"

"What the hell are you on about now?"

"It didn't take you long to make a move at all."

"If you're talking about my mixed match partner, you're damn right. I never should have let you talk me into requesting someone else the first time. It's easy to see now that it was petty jealousy that motivated you, and I let you manipulate me into hurting a friend over it. I'm sure as hell not stupid enough to do that again."

"I manipulated you? That's just great. I should have seen the writing on the wall two years ago. You can act all high and mighty all you want but the fact is you never even tried to make our relationship work. It was just a distraction to keep you from thinking about how you couldn't have the one you really wanted."

"That's not true. I never would have asked you out if I had feelings for someone else. I did everything I could think of to make you feel more secure about our relationship, to make you realize that I was worrying about us, not someone else, but you were blinded by your own insecurities, too busy worrying about the fake front of social media to see what was really going on."

"It's all my fault of course, like always."

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway. We've been around and around with this argument too many times, and I just don't want to do it again. It's over, we're over, there's no reason to rehash it anymore, and my choices are mine to make and no longer your concern."

"You've got to be kidding me. You can't even be man enough to admit it now."

"You know what? Think what you want. I don't care."

It was too late for Bayley to move when she realized he'd exited the situation and was headed straight for her. She was literally like a deer in headlights when he rounded the corner straight into her, and he'd had to grab a hold of her to keep them both from tumbling to the floor. She was about to immediately start apologising but he stopped her from speaking by bringing a finger up to her lips, and very quietly shushing her. She could hear the sound of someone kicking at the equipment and cursing then finally the sound of footsteps headed in the opposite direction.

After a few moments, once she was sure it was clear she said,

"I'm so, so, so sorry Finn. I really didn't mean to eavesdrop on you. I was just coming back to find you and then I heard you, but I couldn't move, and I really wasn't trying to..." as she'd been speaking her words had gotten faster and faster until he'd stopped her.

"It's okay, I know. I'm sorry you had to witness that actually. I keep thinking I've put it all behind me, then it rears it's ugly head again. My own fault I guess, I should have know this would set her off."

"Huh?"

"Oh. Sorry, look I don't want to drag you into that mess anymore than you already have been. Suffice to say I'm no longer with her, and honestly kind of relieved about it more than anything, but I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about it. In fact I'd rather pretend this never happened."

"Of course. You know I would never talk about your private affairs or anything."

"Oh no, I do know that, that's not what I meant. I just, well, we had so much fun tonight. It was amazing, and she just kind of sucked all of the fun out of it. I want that back."

"We could go shoot some hoops, or go find Kevin and wake him up if you want to. Seth wouldn't kick us out if we want to bang on his door either, he's always up for a chat or to play something."

"That would be awesome, but I kind of have a breakfast face-time date planned with my parents in a couple of hours."

"Breakfast?"

"Breakfast for them, late night room service for me, but it's the best time that works for everyone."

"Oh, okay, well I'm sure they will help you feel better."

"You're right, they will, but you know what, they haven't seen you in a while, you want to join me?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be. I do this at least a couple of times a week, they won't mind seeing a new face."

"Okay, yeah, sure. Let me go back to my room and shower and change first, but I'd love to see them again."

"Great!" he said and reached out and initiated a hug this time. Before he walked away he stopped and said, "Hey Bayley?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. I feel better already."

"You're welcome," she replied.


	2. Chapter 2

"You have the coolest parents in the world," she said after they'd finished talking to them.

"Yeah, they are kind of awesome."

"You do this with them a lot?"

"At least once or twice a week. You know I'm close with them, and there were, um, extinuating circumstances that might have strained things a little for a while there. I wanted to rebuild that relationship with them, and kind of stumbled on this solution. It's worked so well that it's become part of our routine."

"Why didn't you just tell me this was what you had planned when I asked if you wanted to celebrate? You know I wouldn't have minded."

"I know, just a force of habit. I forgot for a second that you actually like them and I don't have to avoid the subject."

"Of course I like your parents, who wouldn't?"

"You'd be surprised," he said the look on his face telling her all she needed to know. The last few hours had been a real eye opener into everything she'd missed with him over the last year. He looked miserable even though he was trying to hide it. She wouldn't be a good friend if she didn't want to help him so she said,

"Come on."

"What?"

"I've got an idea. Let's go drag everyone out of bed."

"They'll hate us."

"Not by the end of the night, let's bring a little bit more of the old times back."

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"

"You know I am. It's been too long. We all need it."

"You're taking the blame for this one."

"Sure, but I'm gonna take all the credit too," she said winking at him as she grabbed her phone and started a group text to see who she could convince to leave their cushy hotel rooms for some old school fun. "I've got the girls, you start seeing who else we can get."

"Not waking Kevin up, not worth it."

"Start with Seth, and yeah probably not a good idea, not without Sami to get him out of grumpy bear mode."

...

"What the hell are the two of you up to now," Seth said as he met up with them outside their hotel. He was the first to show and Finn and her just looked at each other sharing a secret smile. Seth had never had a chance to join them back in the day, but before they could say anything else, Elias approached them,

"You guys can't be serious. This isn't Full Sail, there's no way this will work."

"Ah, you know better Elias, if Bayley says we can do it, you know we're gonna pull it off somehow," Finn said grinning at her remindering her again of how he'd always felt like her partner in crime. God, she'd missed this so much. Several others were walking up, and the confusion on Seth's face was amusing as he was joined by several of the guys.

"Mikaze was whining about having to come out, I told him there was no way I was missing it and he could join us if he wanted to. He was pouting in the elevator when I left him, but I gaurantee he'll be here in less than ten," Sasha said as she sat down next to Bayley on the bench, squishing her up against Finn on the other side of her.

"Would somebody please explain what's going on?" Seth said starting to whine a little himself.

Bayley grinned, but ignored him, turning to Sasha,

"Did you bring it?"

"Of course. You know I got you girl."

"Awesome, hopefully one of the girls was able to find the other one," she said as she saw Dana, Ember and unbelievably Alexa walking up. Dana said,

"Ruby and Sarah said they're going to stay with Liv tonight, but made me promise to tell you that they want to participate next time. They were sad about missing it."

"Of course, I'm glad Liv's okay, we will have to do it again when she's all better. Ronda told me thanks for the invite, but she's already on the road. Is that everyone?" Before anyone could answer, Alexa spoke up voice dripping with disdain,

"Why am I here?"

"Because Braun said it was this or go to bed early cause he wasn't listening to you complain about being bored all night," Ember answered her.

"The Smackdown crew is going to be so mad they missed this," said Apollo.

"Speaking of Smackdown, did anybody find one?"

"One what?" Seth asked again.

"We have the former Smackdown women's champion standing right here, we got it," Ember said.

"Why did you make me bring it? You're lucky I even had one on me," Alexa said as she held out the signature blue t-shirt. Sasha pulled the red counterpart out passing it to Bayley as well. Bayley finally had mercy on Seth and said,

"Because you can't play capture the flag without the flags."

"Seriously?" Seth said looking like a little kid on Christmas morning. She caught Finn's eye sharing their amusement silently.

"I want to be a captain," Seth said immediately and both of their looks turned into an eye roll.

"Of course you do."

"Aw come on demon king, you ain't scared of a little competition are you?"

"How many times have I beat you again?"

"Not the last time."

"Don't worry, I can fix that anytime, or did you forget that that wasn't the demon you beat?" said Finn half joking, half taunting.

"Boys, boys settle down, save it for the field," Ember said laughing.

"Speaking of, what exactly are the boundaries? Like I said this isn't Full Sail, we don't know this place that well," Elias asked.

"There's a park right behind the hotel," Scott said. He'd been a regular at their random capture the flag games back in NXT, and unlike Elias, knew they'd done a few impromptu games outside of Full Sail even back then.

"So the park is the playing field, where's the jail?" asked Gable.

"The back courtyard of the hotel leads right into the middle of the park, we had coffee there earlier today and it's the perfect location. I can be jailor since I can't really participate," Sasha said.

"Okay, so Seth and Finn are captains," Bayley said, when no one objected she continued, "Everyone gets one trade out of jail, no more. Your flag has to be placed in an actual location, not on a person. The boundary is straight down the middle of the park, you get caught on your opposing teams side, you go to jail, and you don't get out unless one of your team trades for you or ten minutes pass. Any questions?"

"What about me?" said Alexa, for once dropping some of the attitude and sounding nervous.

"Oh that's right, I forgot you were injured too, I guess you can ref with Sasha."

"You've got to be kidding," she said, attitude returning.

"Aw, Lex, you can't handle little 'ole me for even an hour or two?"

"I can handle it just fine, and don't call me Lex."

Everyone ignored them, they were going to bicker regardless, and no one wanted to piss off the jailors this early in the game.

"So, time to pick sides right, who's going first?" someone asked. Bayley was about to answer, but everyone started talking at once some people making requests, others countering those requests and in the middle of it all Seth and Finn's distinctive voices arguing over it. She put her fingers to her lips letting out a piercing whistle and shutting everyone up at once. She stood up, pulled out a coin, and said, 

"Call it Finn."

"Heads."

She flipped it up in the air expertly, catching and slapping it down on the back of her other hand.

"Heads it is, you go first," she said grinning at Finn as he stood up and walked over to where he had a little space around him. 

"You know my first choice is you," he said and she could almost feel Seth rolling his eyes at them. She stepped over next to where Finn was and while everyone was focused on Seth he leaned in close and whispered, "that our lucky coin?" 

She didn't answer, just grinned at him and slid the coin in her pocket where no one else could see it, he continued,

"I can't believe you made this happen tonight," and he briefly grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly as they both heard Seth requesting Ember, "I mean it Bayley, you're the best." 

She could feel her cheeks warming at the sincere praise and for the first time tonight she shied away from eye contact with him. The way her stomache fluttered in response to his actions was strange and unexpected, and she wasn't sure what to think. She didn't have time to analyze it for right now, so she tried to shove the feeling down deep where it couldn't bother her and put her focus back on the game.

There were a lot fewer women than men, so to be fair they chose someone of the same gender each round, and it didn't take too long to divide the teams up. She gave Seth first choice on flag color since he'd 'lost' the coin toss up. He chose red of course, and Bayley refrained from pointing out that the blue was a lot harder to see in the dark. He had no idea what he was in for. She and Finn never lost when they were on the same team, and they had had a lot of practice at it too.

She might have felt bad if it wasn't Seth, but it wouldn't hurt him to be taken down a peg or two every once in awhile, no need to feel guilty that he didn't stand a chance. He had a few of their old team members on his side, but she knew none of them would warn him just from the looks of amusement on their faces when they caught her eye.

Finn gathered their team and started laying out their strategy, and she shook off whatever that weird feeling was and joined him.


	3. Chapter 3

She was exhausted, muddy, bloody (she'd cut her arm hopping a fence and hadn't even realized it) and starving, but this had been one of the best nights she'd had since joining the main roster.

Finn was grinning like an idiot clutching the now mostly destroyed red t-shirt as their friends surrounded them, celebrating or commiserating, but she was pretty sure they'd all had as much fun as she had regardless of which team they'd been on. For once Alexa and Sasha weren't arguing, in fact they might have actually gained some respect for each other (okay that probably wouldn't even last twenty four hours, but for now she'd take it), and the only one who wasn't happy was Seth. He was pouting like a lost puppy, but she knew he'd be over it before the night was done. He'd always been the type to take a hit and bounce back stronger anyway. 

After awhile people started drifting off until it was just three of them. Seth said,

"You two don't fight fair do you?"

"Of course not," Finn answered at the same time that she said,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's like that is it? The evil demon king and his sneaky little sidekick. I can't prove it, but I know you too had something up your sleeve. I swear, it's always the quiet ones." She and Finn grinned at each other, sharing a look before she answered Seth,

"You were playing against the masters Seth, you never had a chance."

"Fine, but next time I'm taking both of you down. And I'm bringing back up." They both just laughed at him, but then Finn said,

"Give it your best shot, but you're never going to beat the two of us together."

"Ah, so I need to divide and conquer then." 

Finn reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to his side, and to her dismay that stubborn, fluttery feeling returned, he said,

"Sorry mate, never gonna work." Seth smirked at them and started walking away, but then called back to them,

"I'm the kingslayer demon king, I'll find a way." 

"Not when I got a queen to watch my back," Finn shouted back at him. Seth laughed, but kept on walking. After he was gone she looked up at Finn, who had her stilled wrapped tight against him and asked,

"What was up with him referring to the demon all night?"

"He's still kind of pissed he never got a chance to face off with him after all of those matches we had at the beginning of the year, especially after I let him out to play during Summerslam."

"Yeah, but you completely flattened Corbin, why would he be mad he missed that?"

"Cause it's Seth. You know how he is. He's never going to beat the demon, but he's always going to want to try."

"Well I'm sure you can oblige him at some point," she said and Finn laughed. They started walking together, making their way back to the hotel. Finn still had his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulders, so she had no choice but to stay in step with him.

He was silent but everytime she glanced up at him, she could see him smiling lost in thought. He had to step away to open the door for her and after they walked inside he didn't put his arm back, but instead stepped close enough that their shoulders brushed as they walked. Once they were in the elevator Finn said,

"We never did get that room service I promised, wanna do that now?"

"I'm starving, food sounds great."

........

After they'd both finished their meal, Bayley flopped down across his bed groaning lightly and rubbing her stomach.

"I ate too much."

"Me too, scooch over," he said. Despite the fact that it was a king sized bed she'd managed to fall directly in the middle so she moved over to one side giving him plenty of room and he mimicked her actions and flopped backwards making the bed move. Both of them lay there for a moment enjoying the quiet. Bayley finally got up the courage to ask,

"Can I ask you about what happened earlier?"

"Yeah, you probably have the right to know."

"What did....who...I mean, um, was she talking about me?"

"She was."

"I'm sorry Finn. I never meant to cause you any trouble."

"Hey, who said anything about you causing me trouble. You didn't do anything wrong. This is all on her. Her issues, her insecurities. You just happen to be the scapegoat because it's convenient. She knows we've always been good friends and since we did that whole story in NXT it's easy to use it as an excuse, but don't you dare let her make you feel like you're to blame. You've done nothing but be a good friend to me even when I didn't deserve it."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you wanted to be my partner earlier this year. I wanted it too, and I told you that then turned around and changed my mind without even telling you about it and I shouldn't have done that. You deserve better than that, and I'm sorry. My only excuse is I was still at the point where I was trying to salvage my relationship with her, but I shouldn't have treated you that way regardless."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. If you'd told me then that you needed to do that for the sake of your relationship, I would have understood."

"I know, and I should have talked to you, but I felt guilty about it. That should have been my first clue that I was making a mistake."

"It's okay though. It all worked out in the end. Elias is actually a good guy underneath all of that ego, it was cool to get to know him, and Sasha said you guys had a lot of fun with it."

"We did, but I still wish it could have been you instead," she wasn't quite sure how that made her feel, or how to respond so she just reached out and grasped his hand like he'd done to her earlier and squeezed it lightly before letting go. He turned a little towards her and smiled before turning back to stare at the ceiling. After a few minutes passed she said,

"We probably should be getting in bed. It's really late."

"I'm already in bed."

"Very funny. You know what I mean, we both need sleep."

"Hey you wanna crash here you're more than welcome, though I have to warn you, I'm a snuggler."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"If you fall asleep I'm just giving you fair warning, I've been told I'm a cuddler. In fact, I've been called a leech before. Most of my exes couldn't stand it."

"Really? You'd think they'd enjoy it. I've aways been a very cuddly sleeper myself, I thought that was normal."

"I never got it either, apparently it 'suffocating' for some. I don't know, it's not like I can control it anyway," the mixture of bitterness and sadness in his tone made her ache a little for him. She didn't want to leave. She felt like she hadn't managed to completely cheer him up like she'd been hoping, but if she didn't make herself move soon she really would fall asleep, and she knew that would be a bad idea.

"Okay, seriously I need to go to bed."

"Nothing stopping you. You're kind of in my bed, not that I'm complaining, but I can't really help with your problem there. I was halfway kidding a few minutes ago, but the offer still stands if you don't think you can make it."

"You offer your bed up like that to just anyone?"

"No," he said yawning, "but you're not just anyone, are you?"

"I can't. I just gotta..," she trailed off yawning then tried to finish, "make myself move."

"Hmm?" Finn asked sleepily. She couldn't blame him she was having trouble remembering why she couldn't just rest her eyes for a moment. She yawned again feeling herself drift off, part of her knowing she shouldn't, the rest of her not caring.

AN: so, what do you think? Is Bayley setting herself up for a world of trouble here?


	4. Chapter 4

She woke up feeling warm and so comfortable and just content. She loved being cuddled, that feeling of closeness, feeling safe and cherished that came from waking up tangled up in a man's embrace. She hadn't felt that feeling nearly enough lately, especially in the last year. She was gone so much, and then he'd started complaining that he wasn't used to sleeping with someone else in the bed anymore, and they'd gotten that bigger bed when they'd moved and when she was home she'd often woken up feeling all alone with him not even touching her.

She'd tried to explain once how much it meant to her, but it'd gone in one ear and out the other because it hadn't changed anything. She'd just gotten used to not having it, so this was a rare treat. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder and heard him purr in contentment, and suddenly her eyes popped open, and she realized. The arms wrapped around her what not the ones her half asleep brain had been expecting. She was all snuggled up with Finn, legs entertwined, his face buried in her hair, her face laying against the warm, soft cotton of his t-shirt. 

He smelled really good, and despite the half second of panicky realization of what kind of situation she was in, she was finding it very difficult to make herself move. She really, really should. She was damn sure her fiance would not be okay with this no matter how innocent it actually was. He moved and her thoughts shifted to 'okay, maybe not so innocent' as one of his hands ran down her back, cupped her ass and remained there. Why did that feel so good? This should feel wrong. She should be running out the door, panicking about how she was going to explain it, not feeling herself drifting off again to the feel of his warm breath on her neck. Her last thought before sleep took her again was that she was not going to be explaining this one at all, and she might as well enjoy that wonderful rare feeling while she had the chance.

...

The next time she woke was to the sound of a phone buzzing. She was groggy as she felt Finn shift to reach over and around her to grab it off of the night stand. He turned it off and fell back against the bed, still half tangled up with her.

"Morning," he said, his voice still rough with sleep.

"Good morning," she replied slightly hesitantly, unsure of herself and the situation. He still looked half out of it. After a few minutes of silence he seemed to wake up enough to realize he had her trapped in place. She could see just a hint of pink on his cheeks as he said,

"Sorry," and he untangled himself from her. She instantly shifted from feeling unsure of herself to wanting to reassure him.

"It's okay, you warned me, but, um, maybe we shouldn't do that again."

"Yeah, sorry."

"Finn?"

"Yeah?" he asked hesitantly.

"I didn't hate it, and you're not suffocating. If I didn't have someone, um, I mean if things were different. I...I just want you to know...it was nice." His face softened, he went from looking panicked and embarrassed to more like himself, and he brought a hand up to her face, cupped her cheek, and brushed his thumb across her cheekbone for just a second. He said,

"Thanks Bayley," and she could feel her heart tighten in her chest and her own cheeks warm in response.

...

It was almost strange how comfortable things were after that. He'd already rented a car and offered to let her ride with him, so they found a place to grab food and coffee and got on the road with almost no awkwardness between them. They'd really overslept and barely made checkout time, so they didn't run into anyone else. The rest of their friends would have been going their seperate ways anyway to head home for their days off. She knew for the foreseeable future she was only going to get the one day off while she and Finn were competing together, but instead of feeling annoyed or sad, she was kind of excited.

She and Finn had always had a lot of fun, and they fed off each other, coming up with some of their best ideas together. She had a really good feeling about what was in store for them. 

That night she enjoyed getting to see and hang out with all of her many friends on the Smackdown roster, even though they took a lot of shit for having had a capture the flag game without them. They'd had to promise everyone that they'd figure out a way to have one with the blue roster at some point. She and Finn had fun doing the live commentary on facebook, and she was sad to part ways with him afterwards. She had a red-eye to catch in order to make it home for more than twenty four hours.

...

She'd stumbled into her apartment in the early hours of the morning, being greeted quite eagerly by her favorite little fluffball. She crashed hard in her bed, feeling distinctly uncomfortable at the body asleep way on the other side, and she knew nothing else until the following afternoon. She was alone when she woke up and she keenly felt the absence of another person, but she wasn't entirely certain she was missing the person she was supposed to be missing. 

She couldn't seem to shake the feeling of being disconnected with her fiance and her life here, especially after realizing that night that she'd spent her whole day off, her only day home for the next few weeks and she hadn't spoken to him in person once. She'd enjoyed a quiet day, got caught up on her laundry, spent a few hours at her favorite gym here, and cuddled and enjoyed a walk with her dog. 

She'd only seen her fiance briefly after she'd first got up. He'd been on his way out the door and told her he'd see her for dinner. He'd texted her that evening wanting her to come out with him and his friends, but she hadn't felt up to it knowing she had an early flight. He'd seemed unconcerned and told her they could do it the next week and she'd had to remind him that she would be in New York for Comic Con and other press events for work, and with the extra days she would be putting in with Finn for the mixed match challenge she wouldn't be coming home for a while. He'd been kind of cold after she mentioned Finn, and she hadn't even tried to continue the conversation after that.

She'd been half asleep when he'd returned home that night. He'd tried to get her up, but she was pretty sure she knew what he wanted, and she just wasn't feeling it, so she put him off. When he complained about how long it would be until he'd see her again, she reminded him that he was welcome to join her in New York, but he'd hadn't sounded too enthusiastic about it. He hadn't wanted to join her for anything related to work in months, pretty much since before Wrestlemania. A few days before her biggest show of the year there had been an incident involving social media that admittedly was kind of insulting to him. He'd reacted without thinking though, putting her in a bad spot, and he'd been acting resentful and even kind of childish about her job ever since.

They never really got a chance to talk, and she'd left home on kind of a sour note the next day, but she was cheered up when she ran into some fans at the airport. By the time she arrived at her destination she was determined to put it away and not let it distract her from doing her job.

That night after the live event was over she called him in hopes that they could get back on the right footing, but as it turned out, that was a mistake.

"Hi," she said trying to start off on an upbeat.

"Where you even going to tell me about it?"

"About what?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I've got all of these notifications, people tagging me in all these pictures, so I take a look and it's you all over him."

"Are you serious? I told you weeks ago that Finn was my partner."

"You told me you were tag partners, not that I was gonna have to deal with all this crap again."

"What crap?"

"I'm never going to hear the end of it, everyone, yet again talking about how my girl is all over this other guy, and how stupid I must be. Am I stupid? Because you sure looked happy to have an excuse to hug him and wrap your legs around him."

"Are you serious? I thought we dealt with all of this years ago. You know Finn is just my friend, and you know that what I do at work is part of my job, I'm playing a character. Why are you worried, yet again, about bs people send you on social media?"

"It was on national TV Bayley, does it matter how I saw it? You think I'm just supposed to watch you hop into his arms like it's nothing, and not be bothered by it? I don't go wrapping my legs around my tag partner or find every excuse to hug him."

"That's not a fair compairson, and once again, I'm playing a character. I'm supposed to hug everyone, and we were told to remind everone about our story in NXT, besides this is the best thing I've had going for me on TV in months. We've both felt a little directionless and for once they are giving us something to work with. We know how much it really got peoples attention last time."

"Yeah, cause people just love to see the stupid little girl being hoodwinked by the over glorified male model. Why don't you just give him a lap dance while you're at it? People are going to think you're fucking him either way."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You are making way too much of this. It's just a story! For a PG show for god's sake, and you are being a complete asshole about it. Why can't you just support me in this? I need the TV time, and it helps keep me prominent and the fans talking about us."

"Yeah, the fans talking about you and him fucking, and of course I don't get a choice in this. I get to sit back and be the dumbass in the background who lets his girl fuck another man and does nothing about it. I'm tired of getting the short end of the stick to your career. Maybe you should consider letting your precious TV time go, and consider what's more important."

"More important? Like your career you mean. Stop doing what I love, what I'm passionate about so it doesn't overshadow you? That's what you mean, isn't it? This isn't really about me and Finn, it's about you, yet again. I'm so sorry you can't be man enough to accept that I've been more successful and that there's nothing wrong with that. You think if the situation was reversed that you would even entertain the idea of quitting just because I was the one being overshadowed. I know it sucks for you, but I've done everything I can to support you and minimize it when I could. I've bent over backwards to support you even when I shouldn't have. Even when it made me look bad."

"So now it's all my fault?"

"The circumstances? No, but the way you're acting? Yes. I would do a lot things for you, but give up wrestling isn't one of them, and if you really love me, you would never even ask me to." The line was silent for a few minutes before he finally replied,

"Can we please just talk about this in person?"

"You know I'm not going to be home for a few weeks, I've told you that several times. I have live events then Raw in Seattle, tagging with Finn in Portand and then Sasha, Finn and I are supposed to be at Comic Con, and PR has me scheduled for several other things too, and after New York I'm going straight to Chicago. Besides, to be honest I think I'm done with this conversation. Call me tomorrow and we can talk more then as long as you aren't going to accuse me of fucking someone else," she said and didn't wait for a response before hanging up the phone. 


	5. Chapter 5

She spent the rest of her week focused on everything but her issues at home. She was actually surprised at how easy it was to get lost in the day to day life of her career. She had good friends, she got to wrestle, she got to see the world. There was nothing quite like it and the ritual of travel had gotten into her blood. She'd grown accustomed to hotels and gyms and venues. That was her life, and the wrestling and friends made it easy...well okay not easy, but worth it.

With Sasha out she'd spent most of her time with Seth and Finn. Seth was traveling with Dean and Roman, so she didn't see him as much as she had a few months ago, but they still normally went to the gym together. Finn traveled and worked out with Curt now that Luke and Karl were on Smackdown, but she and Finn had been hanging out together a lot at the venue warming up and talking ideas for matches and entrances and moves. She was really enjoying spending so much time with him again. She'd almost forgotten how easy he was to be around.

The first time she'd seen him after her day off she could tell he knew something was wrong, but he'd instinctively known she didn't want to talk about it. He'd offered a hug and silent support, but he hadn't pried. He was a good friend to her, and the hug was very much appreciated, especially considering how little they'd hugged until recently. Finn actually wasn't a very touchy feely kind of guy, and she'd always tried to respect that. There had been a time when he'd been very comfortable with hugs from her and had even been the one to initiate them sometimes, but they'd pulled back from that after he'd gotten hurt. She had no idea how much she'd missed his hugs until he'd started offering them again, and it was funny how easily it came back to them.

...

Once again on Monday they were paired up, only this time she was the one that had a match. Before they went out they had to cut a promo for their match the following night. She'd been feeling particularly appreciative of how great he'd been, and also still really pissed off with her fiance, and even though she wasn't normally the kind of person to do something out of spite, she couldn't help herself from holding onto Finn just a little longer, enjoying how nice he felt, and not caring so much about what it looked like. Finn didn't seem to mind so she decided she wasn't going to worry herself over it.

Finn came out and danced in her entrance with her which was hilarious. She loved that he was so comfortable with himself and that he could goof around and be silly. His reaction when she surprised him with one of his dropkicks was priceless, and when they'd got back to gorilla afterwards he'd been super excited to tell her about an idea he'd had after seeing her do his dropkick. He wanted to try a move where he assisted her in a dropkick into a hurricarana. She'd loved it, and they agreed they'd work on it. 

After the show they rode to Portland together, then parted at the hotel. She knew he planned to spend the next day with his best friend just like she was looking forward to a rare day with Carmella, and they made plans to meet up at the venue the next night.  
...

When she saw Finn at the venue for Smackdown, he looked to be in good spirits. She knew he'd probably needed that time with Karl and Luke, and as soon as he saw her he pulled her into a hug. She stubbornly ignored how that made her heart skip a beat and tried to focus on what he was saying.

"That jacket looks really nice on you, but I can't help but notice it's not too different from mine," he teased as he reached out and gently ran his fingers over the leather at the cuff, briefly cupping her wrist in his palm before letting go. It was her favorite jacket, a dark gray leather coat, and while it hadn't been purchased specifically because it was like his, she did remember thinking when she slid it on the first time how it reminded her a little of his, and how much she'd enjoyed borrowing his that one time. She could feel her cheeks warm a little at both the teasing and the compliment.

"Thanks, and I suppose it is a little like yours. Your coat is pretty awesome though, so can you blame me?" she said.

"Not at all, the look suits you. Speaking of coats though, are we still good to trade off tonight?"

"Yeah I brought my chalkline jacket with me, you'll have to try it on and see if it fits you, but I think it will be a nice touch."

"You said it was pretty big on you, so hopefully it will. I can't wait for our match tonight, I wish we had that move ready."

"Yeah, maybe next week though."

"Are we going to have time to work on it this week?"

"Not in New York for sure. I know if they've got me this heavily booked, then you probably won't have a moment to spare."

He cringed a little and said,

"Unfortunately, you're right. Can we practice in Chicago then?"

"We could probably make it work. Let me check with Josh and sees if he knows a gym that has a more private space we can practice in. Would you be able to get into Chicago early."

"Yeah, I'll make it happen. I'll talk to Tyson, see if they'll let us try it out on Monday."

"You sure we'll have it ready in time?"

"We pulled off that lift with only a couple of minutes to practice surely we can manage." His reminder of one of her absolute favorite moments made her smile.

"Okay, let's do it then."

...

Their match went incredibly well, and they'd both had a lot of fun with the entrance. She had one of those moments where she realized that should would remember this forever just like she remembered those nights in NXT. It was times like these that reminded her why she loved wrestling so much, and once again she was feeling so grateful to have Finn as her friend and her partner. Except for Sasha and maybe Charlotte no one else could lay claim to as many shared special moments in her career, and she was glad for it. She left that night on a high note, bidding Finn farewell. They were both going to be in New York, but other than the signing at Comic Con, they were booked very differently, so she wasn't sure how much she'd see him. She was looking forward to some time with Sasha and maybe a little sight seeing though and she was kind of excited about practicing their new move the next Monday, so she was happy enough to give him a hug and say goodbye in the hotel lobby.

The week in New York did not go how she'd thought it would. She'd expected to be busy, she'd expected to experience a little bit of the excitment and fun that a city like New York had to offer, she hadn't expected the roller coaster of emotions that came with a few unexpected surprises.

She and Sasha met up for breakfast the first morning before the signing. Both were surprised to arrive at their designated area and not see Finn already there. He was usually pretty prompt, but she supposed he might have had something else in the morning that ran long. In fact she and Sasha had to go ahead and get started without him, and he'd come in a short time later looking a little out of sorts and like he was irritated, but trying to hide it.

He easily switched gears into 'fan mode' and she knew she would have to bring it up later if they got a chance to talk. She and Sasha finished well before he did. He stayed late in order to be sure no one got cheated for his tardiness, and they couldn't stay, so she didn't get to do anything more than exchange a brief smile with him when they caught each others eyes before she left.

They left him finishing up pictures with the fans so they could make their dinner plans. While they'd been waiting she'd posted a few clips on her twitter and instagram from the signing, which the online fans had really enjoyed. When she was in her hotel that night she got a really cryptic message from her fiance. They hadn't talked much in the last week, and she half expected him to call wondering where she was considering how often she'd had to remind him. What she hadn't expected was for him to show up in the middle of the night. 

He'd been weirdly hyped and cheerful, but it had been so long since he'd done something like surprising her that she'd just been happy to see him. She was a little dissapointed to realize he must have used a kennel, which she hated doing, instead of paying the fee to bring her dog with him, but told herself that she was being unreasonable and she should just be grateful he'd come.

At first it was really kind of nice. They'd found some great places for food and enjoyed the city, but he'd been annoyed he'd had to wait around while she fulfilled her obligations. She'd had to go to a children's hospital and he'd flat out refused to join her for that, though in the end it was probably better because Finn's ex was there, and that had been plenty awkward enough. Still, after two days she was starting to get really irritated with him for the negativity, and feeling kind of uncomfortable because everything felt forced, like he didn't even really want to be there.

They'd gone out to do some sight seeing and he started showing off and acting weird and drawing way too much attention to them. She tried to disctreetly remind him that they were in a very public place and she always had to keep in mind that people were always watching. She hadn't meant it as a way brag at all, it was just a fact of her life, but he'd been offended. He seemed to brush it off, but then a few minutes later he was back at it again. He was trying to make her laugh she guessed, but even if it had been funny, things were too strained for her to relax enough to goof off with him, and his behavior still felt forced.

By the time they made it back to the hotel, she was just done with him especially because when she tried to address it he'd started arguing with her, making no sense. Once he brought up Finn again and started acting like she owed him for having to do her job, she couldn't keep her cool anymore and since she couldn't hang up on him this time she'd given him the cold shoulder for the rest of the night.

The next day she conceded enough to be civil, but barely spoke to him unless she had to, making the remainder of her time in the city more than a little uncomfortable. She'd been relieved that she'd had to get up early to get on a plane to Chicago the next morning, and only acknowledged him long enough to say goodbye. Whatever his problem had been she didn't know, and honestly didn't care. She just wanted to get back to doing her job without him interfering. She hadn't been in the air long when she'd gotten a text from Finn to confirm their plans, and it was like a switch had been flipped, and she was able to relax and look forward to seeing Finn and doing her job that night on Raw.


	6. Chapter 6

She and Finn met up the next day to essentially coordinate their idea. So far they'd had it fairly easy. Everything they'd had to do that required coordination like the parts of their combined entrances had just come easily. True they'd played around with ideas all the way back in NXT and they'd always seemed to be on the same wavelength anyway, but she'd been surprised at just how easy it had been. The last time they'd called each other, Mella had talked about having to work really hard with Truth to get everything together, but honestly she and Finn really hadn't had to do that. Other than bouncing ideas off of each other, most of their 'practice' time had been spent goofing off, and this was the first time they'd really had to do something. 

The morning had started off well. Her trainer had hooked them up with a gym that met their needs. They wanted their idea to be a surprise that night, so they hadn't talked about it with many people, and they were trying to avoid being accidently seen by the public. A normal crossfit box wouldn't work, and they couldn't wait until they had access to the venue, but the private training room they were shown to was perfect. It still felt like they were playing around more than working, but they'd managed to coordinate their idea so they knew what they wanted to do. The problem became apparent however when they practiced him picking her up and lifting her for the assisted drop kicks. She'd been more than a little disturbed by her body's reaction to having him so close, and she couldn't get it off her mind for the rest of the day.

She'd never felt this way with him before. Why was she feeling so out of sorts? Why did his hands on her make her suddenly hyper aware of him? Why did him touching her make her feel breathless and jittery? She knew what the feeling was even if she didn't want to admit it, but why now? Why after four years did a friendship that had always felt so comfortable suddenly make her feel like she was going to jump out of her own skin. He didn't need another girl drooling over him, he had more than enough, and she had never wanted to be that girl anyway. He deserved to be treated like a person, not a sex object, and he was such a good person too. She'd always been determined to be a real friend to him.

Not to mention she was fucking engaged! Granted she was about as pissed off and fed up as she could be with her relationship right now, but still, it was not okay for her to suddenly be feeling all hot and bothered by Finn. It had been a long time, years in fact since she'd felt anything more than a passing physical attraction to another man, and that fact alone was just as disturbing as the butterflies and tingling under her skin. 

She'd known things were off with her fiance, but this wasn't the first time she'd ever been mad at him. It normally blew over after a couple of days, and things would return to normal. She'd never started having feelings for someone else because of it. God, she really was admitting it. She was having feelings for Finn. And they were already such good friends that this new awareness of him became all tangled up in the warmth, appreciation, and love she already felt for him, and she didn't know what she was going to do. 

If her fiance knew, he'd absolutely blow a gasket. He'd always harbored jealousy towards Finn. He'd never trusted her with him, and it had always made her so angry, of course now all she could think was had he seen something that she'd been blind to all along? If she could feel something for him now, then obviously the potential had always been there. What did that say though? If the possibility had always been there, then what did it mean that she could suddenly see it, feel it now?

She was so confused and feeling like she was going to lose her mind. It didn't improve that night either. She thought she was doing well. She pushed it to the back of mind and just focused on doing her job, and she was excited when they were given the go ahead to try out their move with Jinder and Alicia. They pulled it off beautifully, but then when they were celebrating in the ring he hugged her and pulled her in close to talk to her. She had to hold herself back from reacting to the feel of his face brushing hers, his warm breath on her ear. She barely caught what he said. She was too caught up in how he felt, how that made her feel, and completely entranced by the way he was looking at her. His words were simple praise, but his eyes told a different story.

Was he feeling something too? She had to be imagining it, but something inside of her was telling her that that look in his eyes was not that of someone who saw her as just a friend. It felt for a moment like he'd wanted to kiss her. But that was impossible. 

When they got back to gorilla he'd immediately started talking. He was so excited they'd pulled off their move, and happy to have yet another win. He'd asked her to celebrate with him that night since they'd never got around to doing that before, and she'd been caught up in his excitement and agreed without really thinking about it. It hit her while she was changing that maybe agreeing to have a few drinks with a guy that she'd just realized she had feelings for might not be the best idea. She couldn't back out now though. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, and she didn't think she could get out of it without doing so.

...

A few hours later and she decided she didnt know why she'd been so worried. They met up at the hotel bar for a few beers and the alcohol had helped loosen her up and let go of some of the anxiety she'd been feeling. She was surprised to find that she was having a great time reminiscing and laughing with him. His good mood was contagious and she couldn't help but be happy in his presence. 

When they decided they wanted to watch something other than what was on the TV in the bar, they moved to his room instead, ordering their drinks from room service. They got comfortable stretched out on his bed, and she thought the worst that could happen was she'd end up falling asleep here again. In fact she did doze off at one point. When she woke up she saw him sleeping fitfully next to her. She gently shook his arm to try and wake him from the dream that was bothering him, but when he woke he didn't even seem to see her there. He got up and stumbled to the bathroom. When he came back out he ran a hand over his face and yawned before looking up. When he saw her, his reaction surprised her.

"You again?"

"Huh?"

"You know it's bad enough you're all I see when I'm awake, but now you've got to invade my dreams too?"

"What?" she asked completely confused and starting to feel a little hurt, she knew it must have shown in her face because the next thing he said was,

"Hey, I can't even catch a break in a fucking dream. Don't look at me like that love. You know I can't take it," he walked the rest of the way to the bed, sat down facing her and cupped the side of her face in his hand, "You are so damn beautiful, did you know that? He doesn't tell you that nearly often enough."

She was still in shock, starting to catch on, but also still in a haze of confusion, and all she managed to get out was, "Finn?"

"I know. I know. I shouldn't say things like that, but it's so hard to see the way he treats you and not do anything about it. She was right about one thing you know. When I first started seeing her, it really was a distraction from the constant reminder that I couldn't have you. I thought I was over it though. Thought I'd moved on and put that behind me, but these last few weeks, well I guess not, huh? I was just fooling myself. Back to square one. Back to watching that douchebag treat you like an inconvenience one minute and a coveted posession the next, and I can't do a damn thing about it.

"What I wouldn't give to be able to go back, to have met you before he did. So many things would be different. For damn sure, if you'd been wearing my ring on your finger that long, you would have already had my last name to go with it. He's a fucking idiot. Not that I'm complaining really. At least I can still have the delusion that someday you'll wake up and see what's in front of you."

She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't imagining it. That she wasn't the one dreaming. He heart was in her throat, her ears were ringing and she felt faint. Her instinct earlier had been right, and yet so very wrong. He wasn't starting to feel the same thing she was, he'd felt that way all along. For years. How could she have missed that?

"Can I hold you for a little bit love? At least let me pretend for a moment that I'm not going to wake up to a cold bed?" She probably should have pulled away, but she couldn't. He pulled her in against him, wrapping her up in his embrace, and inevitably, despite the shock of the revelation, she could feel herself drifting off in the warmth of his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

When she woke up the room was still dark. She knew immediately that she couldn't stay, that he could not know what he'd accidently confessed to her that night. If she left now he wouldn't, so she slipped out of the room as quietly as possible.

She was almost numb, going through the motions throughout her day. She had breakfast with Mella. She knew Mella had picked up on her tension, but she wasn't ready to talk about it, and Mella had always been good at reading her. She'd seen the look in her eyes that told her her friend was worried about her, but she hadn't said anything.

She'd spent a few hours in the gym on her own. She pushed herself harder then she probably should have but she'd been doing everything she could to hold it all in. She knew once the dam broke, it would all be over.

She managed to make it through until Smackdown, and she was able to push it all down deep enough that she could function, putting her focus on anything and everything else. Even if they were fighting with each other, it was still so good to be there to watch Becky and Charlotte that night. They were her girls, her wrestling soulmates. The bond the four of them shared wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd have, and it had completely changed her life. Even if they were seperated for now, she knew someday they were gonna all tear it up again. For a little while it was enough to keep her distracted.

It was so odd to see Finn though. He too, knew something was wrong, and like Mella, he could tell she didn't want to discuss it. The concern in his eyes everytime he looked at her made her heart ache. Now that she knew, she could see the subtle tells, and it was so hard to concentrate on what they were supposed to be doing which was getting ready for what she knew would be their hardest match of the whole tournament.

It hadn't gone well. They'd tried. They had certainly given Braun and Ember a tough battle, and there had been moments, like when they pulled off their move on Ember when she thought they were going to do it, but in the end Braun was just too much. Finn kept trying, and taking a lot of punishment for it. She knew Finn. He would never give up. He would literally let Braun beat on him until he passed out, which is what he'd done. She'd rushed in the ring afterwards, so worried she'd finally forgotten all of her troubles, at least for a moment, too concerned about how much damage he'd taken. He at least was able to walk out on his own, though to be fair it had mostly been her doing the walking. He'd barely been able to stand, but somehow they managed to make it backstage to the doctors.

She'd hovered nearby as the doctors examined him, and was relieved to find out he hadn't sustained anything more serious than a whole lot of bruising. They'd been concerned about his breathing, but couldn't find anything to indicate a more significant problem and advised him just to rest. She'd helped him to the men's locker room after, and he'd promised he could manage.

As soon as she was changed and packed she'd made her way back to the men's locker room, and Tye, who'd been leaving, stopped and went back in to check for her. Finn was still moving very slow, but Tye had helped her get him and his things out to her rental car. She'd originally been planning on leaving that night, but she knew she wasn't leaving Finn's side until she knew he was okay. Instead, she headed back to the hotel, shooting a quick text to her fiance that she'd changed her plans, and not even bothering to wait on a reply. Finn still had a room, and she didn't bother to think about why she shouldn't be assuming she could stay with him.

He was so messed up, and apparently he'd taken the painkillers the doctor had given him because he was a little loopy too. With the help of one of the hotel employees, she got them and all of their stuff to his room. Finn had stumbled in and fell backwards on the bed, and she thanked and tipped the employee before she went to check on him.

She knew he was high on the painkillers when he'd grinned at her.

"Hi Bayley."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great," he said and he tried to sit up, but as soon as he did he started coughing, and his face grimaced in pain. She reached out to support him through the coughing fit.

"That's just the painkillers talking. You need to rest," she told him as she gently helped lower him back to the bed.

"Okay. Will you keep me company?"

"Of course," she replied and laid down next to him, turning so she faced him, "I don't know why you let him hurt him you so bad. I hate seeing you like this."

"We had to win."

"We didn't though and now you're hurt."

"I know. I'm so sorry," he said the genuine regret in his tone making her wish she hadn't said that.

"I don't care about losing nearly as much as I do that you can barely breath right now."

"This was too important."

"Why? It's not worth you getting injured."

"Because this is the only shot I get. They'll never let me have you like this again. We have to win."

"Finn?" she questioned. His wordimg had her heart in her throat again. Did he really just say that? He didn't seem to understand her question though.

"We're gonna do this. I promise. We're gonna show them."

"Show them what? I don't understand," she said, but she didn't get an answer because he started coughing again. She helped support him and when he was able to breath again she realized she was now laying right up next to him with her arms around him. He looked at her, and she knew she was in his personal space, but before she could move he was running his hand through her hair, staring at in a dazed wonder. She had no idea what was going through his drugged mind.

"So pretty," he whispered, and she she could feel her cheeks warm in response even though she knew he wasn't fully in control of his actions. She didn't say anything for awhile as he continued to play with her hair. The soothing action  was starting to lull her to sleep, and she was startled a little when his hand shifted down to cup her face. Before she knew what was happening he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. She'd barely realized what was going on before he'd pulled away again, but her heart was racing a mile a minute. Her lips tingled, and she felt like she was the one who couldn't breath.

"Finn?"

"Love you sweetheart. Sweet dreams," he said sleepily before his eyes drifted closed.

Oh God. That hadn't just happened had it? It was one thing to know Finn had feelings for her, but this was a whole different ball game. She wasn't ready for this. What the hell was she going to do? If she hadn't been so tangled up in him she might have bolted, but she couldn't move. In fact after a few minutes and once her heart slowed, the feeling of sleepiness returned and she knew once again she was going to fall asleep in his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

She'd woken in Finn's arms with her face pillowed on his chest, and for a moment she'd just looked at him. He was so beautiful when he was asleep, and it was hard to look away. She could feel it in her heart and in her gut, everything about him drew her in, and she knew that this was not going to be simple or easy. This man meant so much to her and she knew she could not just dismiss him. The thought of hurting him in anyway made her feel physically ill, and she could not deny that it would be so easy to fall in love with him. A small part of her was terrified that she already had, and she had no idea what she was going to do.

She couldn't fathom walking away from all of her friendship and history with her fiance, but how could she stay when she felt this way about another man? It was an impossible decision, and not made any easier by feeling how good it felt to be in Finn's arms. She needed to get out of here, but she wasn't sure she could make herself move. The way he was holding her, knowing how he felt. This feeling could be addicting.

For better or not, fate intervened and he shifted enough that she could slip away without disturbing him. It took everything she had in her to force herself away from him.

...

She went straight to Mella. She was very fortunate to have more than one very close friend. She had Sasha and Mella for female companionship, but she also had Finn and Seth. Except this was definitely a girl thing, and she felt weird about talking about this with Sasha. Mella wasn't close with her fiance or Finn, so hopefully she could be a nuetral sounding board.

As soon as Mella saw her though everything she'd been holding in since she woken up the day before just broke free, and she started crying before she even got a word out. She tried explaining, but she was hardly coherant through the sobbing and blubbering and it's a wonder Carmella understood anything she said.

"Wow, sweetie. Just wow, slow down, calm down," Mella said soothingly as she pulled her into her arms, rubbing her back lightly. "Whatever it is, it's okay. Everything will be all right, you'll be alright."

It took her a while before she could calm down enough, but eventually her friends comfort and kindness helped and she was able to talk.

"I don't know what I'm going to do."

"What happened?"

"Finn's in love with me," she said and she could see it on Carmella's face when it finally hit her. It was almost like coming to that realization all over again. Saying it out loud made it real, and the feeling washed over her. The feeling of wonder and pure joy to know that that beautiful, wonderful man felt that way.

If she wasn't stuck between a rock and hard place she knew she would have been over the moon right now. How could she not feel even just a little bit in awe that someone like him could feel that way about someone like her. Her dear friend, her partner in crime, nothing could have been sweeter, and to know too that he'd felt that way for so long and held it in for her sake, to protect her happiness. She wished with everything in her that this was simpler, that she was free to love him back without repercussions.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. He was drunk the other night and thought he was dreaming, and he said a whole lot of stuff I'm pretty sure he never meant for me to hear. Then last night he actually said it right before he fell asleep. He was loopy from the painkillers, I don't think he realized what he was doing."

"Oh, honey."

"I can't. I can't do this. I can't forget the things he said, and I can't lose him."

"What about..."

"I know. I'm well aware of the ring on my finger. I can't have both of them, I know, but I don't know how I'm supposed to choose between them."

"Bayley, hun, I think it says something that you feel like you even have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"You are so incredibly loyal, sometimes even at your own expense. If this was anyone else you might be heartbroken that it would change your friendship, but it wouldn't have even been a question about what your choice would be."

Mella was right. Before the last two nights, no matter how bad things had gotten in her relationship, she never would have thought anyone or anything would make her even consider leaving him. Literally nothing except apparently Finn, a man she also felt incredible loyalty for. She hadn't known him as long, but from the moment they'd met he'd just been so open and kind. She'd been fortunate in her life to know a lot of very good people, but she'd never met anyone quite like him. They'd formed a special bond that was strengthened everyday as they worked together to build NXT, and when he'd got hurt and they'd come up with that idea for her to do his entrance, it was like they'd invited the whole world to share in that bond. It had served to make them even closer, and not a day went by where she didn't find something else to admire about him.

He'd been a large reason why they'd all been as successful as they had been in making NXT what it was today. Of course they'd all been a part of that success, but she knew he'd been the catalyst, the initial one to draw them in, so that they could all show the world just how good they really were. He'd never, not once, taken the credit though. He was incredibly humble, and shared their triumphs equally. Each and every one of them who'd been there with him had reasons to be loyal and grateful. For her though it had been deeper. Maybe because of their bond, maybe because she'd probably gained the most from that shared spotlight being the women's champion at the same time as he'd held the men's title, but there was very little she wouldn't do for him. 

It might have even been a little unfair to her fiance because at some point she knew she hadn't been able to stop herself from making comparisons, at least in her own mind. And when he'd gotten jealous she hadn't been willing to give in like she might have for anyone else either.

Mella had been silent while she was lost in thought and when she looked up at her she just smiled and squeezed her hand lightly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Are you happy with him? Have you been happy? Cause it hasn't really felt that way for a long time. You know I know what it's like to make a tough decision. You can love someone and still recognise that they aren't good for you. I've tried to stay out of it, but it's bothered me how much you've seemed dissatisfied for the last year. I knew there were a lot of contributing factors besides your relationship with him, but I expected you to be making wedding plans by now. I expected that even if you were seeing ups and downs with your career that he at least would be the one constant. If I'm wrong please tell me, but it just feels like he's caused you more trouble than he's supported you lately."

She was a little surprised to hear Carmella ask her that. She was right, maybe things hadn't been that great over the last year, and yeah, she'd been willfully blind to how much things had changed because she didn't want to see it, didn't want to admit that something might he wrong, but she had no idea her friend would see it too. She'd thought that if she hadn't been able to see it that no one else could have either, but in that moment she had to finally admit that she'd been fooling herself about a lot things.

"No, I guess I really haven't been. He doesn't want to talk about setting a date, and he's always pissy about everything I have to do for work. It feels like he blames me for all of the crap he has to deal with because of my career even though he says he doesn't, and it just feels like we're constantly at odds over something. He's been an asshole about Finn which I guess knowing what I know now might make sense, but he won't ever actually talk about it. He's constantly assuming that I'll go along with whatever he wants to do, but never wants to do the same for me, and the more he pushes me to fit into his way of things, the more I pull away. 

"I kept trying to ignore it. I was sure it was just growing pains, you know? A lot had changed, we weren't in Florida anymore where we had a lot of mutual friends. I was gone a lot more, so we couldn't talk as much or do things together like we used to and when I was home I was so tired I just wanted to be lazy. Nothing seemed to click into place after we moved. I was so happy and excited after he asked me to marry him, so at first I didn't notice, but since Mania this year, it just keeps coming up over and over again."

"Why haven't you said anything? You know I would have been happy to listen."

"I didn't want to see it. I kept hoping I was just imagining things, and that it would just go back to the way it used to be. We've been fighting constantly since he found out Finn and I were tagging together again, but I still probably would have let it go if, well, if I hadn't known...."

"That Finn's in love with you?"

"Yeah. God, that still sounds insane, and if I'd heard it from anyone else but him, I would have never believed it, but now I can't unknow it. The moment I realized it was true, it was like something inside of me changed. There's a part of me that wants it so bad I can taste it. A part of me that says to hell with any consequences. A part of me that...that I think is already in love with him too."

She didn't want to even look at Mella after admitting it. She knew in her heart that she would never judge her, but even she couldn't believe what she'd just said. Was she really doing this? Was she really considering turning her back on a man who'd been her closest friend and supporter for years, even when they'd had nothing, scraping by just hoping for a chance to wrestle? And yet how could she not? How could she stay with someone solely based on that? In truth the magic between them had died a long time ago, even if she was just now realizing it.

This spark between her and Finn felt like all it needed was a little oxygen to set it free and it would burn like a wildfire. How could she ignore that? And she knew in that moment that she couldn't. Even if she tried to pretend this never happened. Even if she went home and tried to fix her relationship and started avoiding Finn, nothing would ever be the same again. Knowing what was out there, knowing what she'd sacrificed would slowly drive her crazy. She couldn't do that. Even the thought of it made her miserable.

Which meant she was going to have to end her engagement. She was going to have to end a relationship with a man that she'd thought was her one and only for life. The thought brought equal amounts of pain and relief. She'd known there would be no way out of this situation without hurting one of them, but she hadn't been able to fathom it would be the one who'd put the ring on her finger. She reached down and slipped it off and held it in her palm and stared at it. It had been there so long now she'd gotten used to it, but then maybe Finn was right. Maybe Mella was right. Why had it been there so long? She'd thought engagement would bring them closer, but instead it was almost like it had driven them apart.

"What are you going to do?" Mella asked startling her out of her thoughts.

"I guess....I guess I have to give this back."


	9. Chapter 9

Once she'd made the decision in her heart, she was ready to get it over with. She knew her life would change drastically now, but she didn't want to live a lie. Unfortunately he'd forgotten to tell her that they had visitors coming, old friends of theirs. Instead of spending her time working out how to split up their things like she'd planned, she'd had to pretend for several days that nothing had changed. It was agonizing. Then she'd had to go back to work.

Work was wonderful and awkward and crazy. Being around Finn while knowing what she knew wasn't easy, but it did make her so much more aware of him and the way he treated her, and she wondered how she have could possibly missed it before. The way he looked at her sometimes made her want to melt into a puddle. It was frustrating not being able to do anything about it, and nothing seemed to go right that week. On Raw they'd been interupted by Lashley, and she could tell Finn was starting to really get irritated with him. At least she'd got to hang out with Trish and Lita as well. She'd a few opportunities to actually get to know them and adored both for who they were as real people, but there was still a little girl inside of her who couldn't believe she was really hanging out with them.

She finally got to go home after that, no interuptions, no old friends, nothing but the truth that had been waiting to burst out of her. The moment she'd both been anticipating and dreading finally came. She'd slipped the ring off, tears already pouring out of her as she handed it to him and said,

"I'm sorry."

"What the hell is this?"

"Your ring. You paid for it, it belongs to you."

"What does that mean?" he asked in disbelief.

"I can't marry you. I'm sorry, but I've had a lot of time to think, and I just realized that I can't do this anymore. We've both evolved so much. We're different people, and I don't think that the people we've become fit together as well as the kids we were did. I think it's time we both move on with our lives."

"You're fucking kidding right? Everything was fine and suddenly you decide you can't do this anymore?"

"It wasn't sudden. Everything was not fine. There have been a lot of signs lately that maybe we weren't as compatible as we used to be."

"Like what? You crawling all over some other guy? Is that what this is about? You don't just decide overnight to end an engagement unless you really are fucking him, and you just don't want to admit it. You just want a chance to be his little whore, no matter wha..." he didn't get a chance to finish because she'd brought a hand across his cheek, hard, literally slapping the taste out of his mouth.

"You know what. I was trying to be as kind as possible, but since you want to take it there, lets go ahead. The truth...you want the truth? The truth is that yes, part of why I'm giving this ring back is because of him. Because he's in love with me, and because I think I could love him too.

"But there's no way he could have made his way into my heart like that, if I hadn't already fallen out of love with you. We have a lot of history, and there are a lot of things that no one else will ever share with me. A part of me will always love you a little bit for that, but I've also realized that all of that history doesn't mean I have to like who you've become as a person," she was fuming, but it didn't take long for her anger to run out of steam, the prevailing resignation and sadness returning. She sighed and continued, "We just don't fit anymore. Don't you see that?"

He looked...defeated. They'd both been fighting the truth, clawing at the remnants of their relationship trying to keep it from unravelling for far too long. He didn't say anything just clenched his fist around the ring in his palm so tightly the skin on his knuckles turned white. His face was a stoney mask as he nodded at her once then collapsed on the chair behind him putting his head in his hands. After a few minutes he looked up at her, his eyes red, his face resigned,

"What do we do now?"

"I guess we move on with our lives. I'll move out. Your life is here, but mine really isn't. I was only here for you. I think I'm going to go back to Florida," she said sitting down on the chair across from him.

He scoffed and said,

"He's there," bitterness laced in his voice.

"Yes he is, but so are all of the rest of my friends. It's been really nice to see Mella more these last few weeks. I'd like to live somewhere that I can see her without having to make a whole vacation of it, and the only reason I see Sasha is because we travel together."

"When we moved and I bought this ring, I thought that we would be starting the rest of our lives together."

"It's probably better in the long run that we did move. We may have never realized until it was too late if we'd stayed where we were comfortable. I don't regret it. You've been my dearest friend, my strongest supporter for many years. I will always be grateful for that, but I couldn't keep holding on to the past forever. We have to let it go."

He didn't say anything else, but at least he'd accepted it. After a few minutes she got up and went about her day. She had a lot to do, a lot of arrangements had to be made. Later on during the day they managed to have a civil conversation about how they were going to split their things. She knew she had the means to buy new furniture much more than he did, and told him she would only be taking the things that had sentimental value or were exclusively hers, and he agreed that their dog would go with her. She had no idea how she was going to manage, but that was one thing she was not willing to compromise on. He'd hadn't been happy about it, but he'd agreed anyway.

She was going to have to see if she could find a dogsitter who would work with her schedule. That was going to be complicated on top of finding a place to live. Especially as her schedule was about to get a lot heavier with the women's payperview and the holidays coming up, but she knew she would manage.

...

When she went back to work that week, she'd already got the ball rolling on finding a dogsitter in the central florida area, she'd made arrangements to be removed from the lease on their condo, and she'd researched moving companies. What she hadn't figured out was where she was going to stay until she could find a home that was in her budget. She was typically frugal, but this would be the first time she would be living on her own, and she'd decided she wanted something a little nicer. It would be much easier to search from Florida, and she wanted to move out as quickly as possible.

She'd confessed everything to Sasha when she'd picked her up from the airport. Sasha had been upset only because she hadn't told her sooner. She'd declined Sasha's invitation to stay with them. Her and her husband were friends with her ex. It was up to them if they wanted to maintain that friendship in the future, but she wasn't going to be the reason why they didn't. Mella would have offered to let her stay too, but she was in the middle of a house remodel, and was staying with her family. 

Considering how much time she already spent in hotels, she hated the idea of living out of one for however long it took to find something more permanent, but it was looking like that would her only choice.

She was rehashing it all with Sasha backstage a few nights later, still trying to brainstorm a solution, and she guessed Finn overheard them because later on that night he confronted her.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't bullshit with me Bayley. Something was off with you all week last week, and now you're talking to Sasha about finding a place to stay, so what's going on?"

"I'm moving back to Florida."

"Why?"

"I ended my engagement."

"What? Why? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It was my choice."

"Why haven't you said anything?"

"It just happened. No one really knew. I wasn't ready to talk about it at first, then once I made the decision I just wanted to get it over with."

"And you're sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I am. Thank you, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but honestly, I feel kind of free. I didn't realize how much the last year was dragging me down."

"Well then, if you need somewhere to stay why don't you stay with me."

She knew the offer was made out of kindness. He was once again just trying to be a good friend, but she couldn't help the direction her brain went in, nor the way her breath caught. The air between them suddenly changed. He caught on quickly, his eyes darkening, his head tilting just a little to the side as if to question it. She ducked her head for a moment to try and catch her breath. When she looked up again he'd moved closer, and his eyes sought hers. She brought a hand up to the side of his face,

"Thank you Finn, but that's really not a good idea," she smiled softly and he looked almost stunned. After a moment he seemed to shake it off a little and said,

"Why?"

"Because I can't do that to him after everything else."

"I don't understand."

"Finn..." she was struggling with what to say. She almost let slip what she knew, but it was too soon. She wasn't ready, but she was still tempted anyway. Fate decided for her when they were interupted. When she turned to walk away, he stopped her, placing his hand on her arm so she turned back to face him again.

"We'll talk more later," he said, the intensity in his eyes and his voice making her heart start pounding. She managed to nod in agreement, and he let her go.


	10. Chapter 10

AN Updating a day early cause I have to work a lot of hours between now and Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas, hope you have a wonderful holiday!

...

"What's going on with Bayley?"

"Don't you think you should ask her that?"

"I did, she's being very evasive with me lately. One minute she's right there, and everything's fine then as soon as I get close to figuring it out, it slips through my fingers. You're her best friend, some insight would be appreciated."

"I don't think there's much I can tell you Finn."

"Look, I'm not asking you to break a confidence or anything, I just...I need to know she's alright. She says she is, but something's off."

"She's fine. She's going through a lot trying to get her life back together, but she's handling it."

"Why does it feel like she's avoiding me then?"

"I can't answer that, that's between you and her." He sighed in a combination of frustration and resignation and put his head in his hands, making her take pity on him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?" he answered, not even glancing up.

"What are you waiting on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Finn, I'm not stupid, it's written all over your face everytime you look at her. There's nothing in your way anymore. I would have thought you would have already done something about it by now." There was a long silence before he finally answered,

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm too used to the way things have always been," he paused for a long time. He looked like he was struggling to find the right words. Eventually he continued,

"You know when I met her I told myself I was ten kinds of stupid for falling for her, but I still couldn't stop it. And then when I realized that I wasn't going to get over it as easily as I'd hoped I told myself I could stay away from her, but I couldn't stop that either. And everytime I kept going back being pulled in closer and closer. I know it's cliche, but I was the moth and she was the flame, and I guess I enjoyed playing with the fire, dancing in and out of her light, always close, but never close enough to get burned. And now..."

"Now you have to risk getting burned."

"Yeah."

"That is cliche, but also really sweet. My advice, take the risk. You didn't spend four years fanning a flame just to watch it go out did you?"

"I wasn't...I didn't...this wasn't something I planned or thought would ever happen, but no I guess not. I'm not going to lose her now."

"Then do something about it."

...

"Bayley," she looked up startled. He'd been trying to talk to her all day, but she'd managed to evade him until now. She knew she shouldn't, but she didn't know what to say or how to talk to him. The way he'd looked at her that day, she was afraid if she said anything at all, that everything would come spilling out. She was kicking herself for being a coward, afraid to move forward and tell him the truth, afraid of what it might mean for them and their friendship. It was silly. She'd pretty much ended her engagement for him, so why she couldn't tell him that was baffling even to her.

"Hi Finn."

"Hey. Feels like I haven't seen you in days." She ducked her head, she still wasn't sure what to say to him. She felt him step closer and she peaked up at him through her lashes. He was a lot closer than she'd realized. His voice was soft, soothing, his accent thickening when he spoke again,

"Look at me lass," she looked up into his eyes and continued, "It's okay if you're not ready to talk about something, but I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"Please don't shut me out." Her breath caught at the way his voice took on an almost pleading tone.

"I didn't mean to shut you out," she said her voice breaking a little, "I've just had a lot on my mind, and I..." she could feel herself starting to get choked up, but then she was startled by the feel of his warm hand on her face, cupping her cheek. He said,

"Hey, it's alright. Bayley, first and foremost I'm your friend. If you need to talk about the latest cute thing Flex did or whatever new awful band you and Seth found, or anything at all instead of what's got you so preoccupied, I don't care, as long as you talk to me. I just want to be a part of your life."

"You are. A really important part, I promise."

"You're an important part of my life too," he said the way he looked at her making her heart tighten in her chest before he continued, "So if you're not avoiding me anymo..." she interupted him,

"I wasn't avoiding you," she started to say, but the look he gave her told her he wasn't going to let her get away with it, "Okay, maybe I was avoiding you. I'm so used to being able to tell you everything, but I just can't yet, and I didn't know what to say."

"I'm right here, either way, as long as you'll let me be."

"I will. I'm sorry I avoided you, it never felt right anyway, and I won't do it again."

"Good, now as I was saying, if you're no longer avoiding me can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I was hoping you would allow me to come Friday night, to be there to support you."

"Of course! You didn't have to ask that Finn. You are always welcome, and I know just how much you've supported me in the past."

He grinned at her answer, and she felt a million times better. She hadn't realized how much grief she was causing both of them by her fears, but she was glad he was the kind of friend who wouldn't let her get away with it.

...

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said, shoving Finn's shoulder roughly back against the wall behind him before he realized he'd brought unwanted attention on himself and stepped back.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I work here asshole. What are you doing here?"

"Like I wouldn't be here for her. Just because you finally managed to worm your way in and make her think we weren't right for each other anymore doesn't mean I'm gonna let you stop me from supporting her."

"What are you on about? You've barely managed to show up for anything in the last year, and now that she's finally dumped your sorry ass, now you wanna be there for her? Too little too late asshole. She's already got plenty of friends supporting her, she doesn't need her ex showing up and causing problems on tonight of all nights."

"That's not really up to you. Maybe you should mind your own business, and stay out of mine." Finn looked like he wanted to punch him, his fists clenched tightly at his side.

"Maybe you should think about someone besides youself for once. Do you really think that this is a good idea? Don't you realize that all you can possibly accomplish here is to make things harder on her? How can you care so little about what she actually wants or needs?"

"You don't know a damn thing about what she wants or needs! Feeding her lines about being in love with her, confusing her, making her question everything about us when you knew damn well she was engaged to me! We were fine until you started butting your nose in our business again," he paused for a second before he continued,

"You know it's real convenient for you huh? You get dumped, and suddenly you start chasing after her again. We both know you'll be gone as soon as you find your next model or actress or whatever else you pretty boys really want. You have thousands of beautiful women chasing after you. Why you do you have to go and start poaching on the normal ones too now? She shouldn't even be on your radar. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it's pretty low to go after an engaged woman just because you can." Finn had had enough and it was he who earned the unwanted attention when he shoved him back against the wall and got in his face,

"For the record, I don't have anything to do with whatever happened with you two. That's between you and her, but I'll tell you one thing, you don't know shit about me. I'm not playing any kind of game. I would never do something like that. How I feel about her has nothing to do with you, but I would hope to God you would know what it was like. To see her and talk to her and be completely head over heels before you knew what hit you, but I didn't do anything about it because I knew she was taken. I became her friend because how could I not? But I didn't go after her at all. I moved on, tried to forget how amazing she was, tried not to see her smile, her hair, her laugh in every one of those 'beautiful' women I met." He laughed sarcastically,

"On my fuckin' radar, you're kidding right? She is the radar. Do you know how much shit I took because my ex looked just a little bit too much like her? I was just kidding myself, because she's not the kind of woman you just get over because you're supposed to, but I tried. I really did." He sighed and stepped back, his anger running out of steam.

"Look I can't really say I'm sorry things didn't work out for you, but I've never touched her, never overstepped those boundaries. She was yours, and I knew that, and I would never have done anything about it, if for no other reason than because it would hurt her. Which is what you're going to do if she sees you here.

"Go home. If you care about her at all you'll let her have her moment without ruining it."

He looked stricken, like maybe Finn had finally gotten through to him. He stood there for a few moments in silence, but eventually he turned and walked away. Finn stood there as well, not moving, looking like that had taken a lot out of him. He turned in her direction and finally saw her standing there.

"Bayley?"


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone was so excited, incuding her, and she'd been bouncing around between groups of people, greeting her friends and heroes in turn, so happy to be right in the middle of it all. When she'd first seen Finn she hadn't hesitated to walk up to him and wrap him in a big hug, and he'd been just as happy to see her. She'd been pulled away but they'd crossed paths again briefly a couple of times.

At some point she'd lost track of him, but didn't think anything of it until someone had said they'd seen her ex. She had not been looking forward to dealing with him, but thought she'd better get it over with. When she'd went to find her ex however, what she'd ran into was Finn and her ex arguing.

She thought she already knew how Finn felt about her, but she was not prepared for what she heard,

"Maybe you should think about someone besides youself for once..."

"We were fine until you started butting your nose in our business again...She shouldn't even be on your radar..."

"How I feel about her has nothing to do with you...to see her and talk to her and be completely head over heels before you knew what hit you...On my fuckin' radar, you're kidding right? She is the radar..."

"...Go home. If you care about her at all you'll let her have her moment without ruining it."

She was stunned. Yeah she'd already known how he felt, but this left nothing to interpretation. He had no idea she was standing there either. Neither had. It wasn't until after her ex left that he turned in her direction. She stepped forward into the light and searched his face. For a moment he looked panicked as he processed what she'd obviously heard, but then he kind of shook his head and looked straight at her. His voice was low and rough as he said,

"It's true." He continued to look at her as he paused for a moment searching her face then he continued, "What I told him. I meant it. Every word."

She didn't know what to say so she just stared at him her mouth gaping open. After a minute he must have confused her silence for displeasure because he started to say,

"It's okay if you don't feel the sa..." he couldn't finish because she finally snapped out of it and found her courage. She stepped forward sliding her hands up his jawline to cup his face and pulled his mouth down to hers.

If she was being honest she'd been thinking about this, what it would be like to kiss him, since that night he'd thought he was dreaming. Actually if she was really being honest the thought had crossed her mind long before that, but it had been a lot harder to push it away after she'd learned how he really felt about her. Still, secret daydreams could hardly compare to the way it felt in real life. His lips were so soft, his body pressed against her so hard, and the combination left her dizzy with a wave of pure want. He deepened the kiss, and took control as his tongue sought hers. When she moaned in approval he continued and hands that had rested lightly on her sides slid down and around to cup her ass and pull her even harder against him.

For a little while they were completely lost in the kiss, in each other, but they weren't exactly in a private place and Nattie had come around the corner and just barely missed running straight into them. Bayley laughed a half laugh dropping her hands from Finn's face to his chest, not knowing quite what to do with them. Nattie cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed for interupting them, and walked away.

After Nattie was gone, Bayley turned her face back to Finn, and was surprised when he immediately claimed her lips again. It would have been so easy to get lost in the kiss again, but they kept it brief knowing they could be interupted again any minute. When he pulled back the second time he did so slowly and when she opened her eyes she met the deep blue of his staring back at her.

"I love you Bayley." She was blown away again. That was never going to get old. She tried to find her voice, she wanted to tell him, but he didn't give her a chance to speak. "You are going to be absolutely amazing tonight," he paused then he looked directly into her eyes, his voice deepening as he said, "if you are okay with it, I'd like to continue this discussion somewhere more private later on." 

Her heart was in her throat, and the way he was looking at her, he made her want to blow off one of the most important nights of her career so they could continue their 'discussion' right now. She knew she couldn't and wouldn't do that, but that didn't mean it wasn't tempting. Her voice was breathy but she managed to say,

"Okay."

...

The rest of the night both flew by and yet dragged on. Her emotions were at war with each other, and she was torn between her happiness at the momentous occasion and her anticipation of seeing Finn again.

She felt a warm appreciation for Nattie when she saw her. She'd squeezed her hand and whispered that she was happy for her, then hadn't mentioned it again. Their match had gone okay. She knew she was her own worst critic, so she tried to let go of any mishaps that had happened, and instead focused on the fact that she'd had an actual match and not been thrown into the battle royal, and just being able to be a part of something like this, that it was even possible, was amazing.

When they made their way to the ring she'd seen Finn on the first row, and felt her heart skip when she realized he was holding up a 'hugger section' sign. She was not prepared for how seeing him there would make her feel. He looked so happy, and she suddenly couldn't wait to tell him. She wanted him to know that she loved him too. That she had never felt this way before.

...

At the party afterwards she enjoyed the celebration as much as she could, but as soon as Finn found her, she lost all interest in the party. She'd spent enough time there that no one gave her too much grief as she said her goodbyes, and before she knew it she found herself in a cab with him on the way back to the hotel. They were quiet in the car, but Finn folded her hand into his and pulled her up against him.

He didn't even wait for them to get to his room, as soon as the elevator doors closed behind them he pulled her up against him and took her lips with his. The kiss was slow, like he was savoring her mouth, and she really had a chance to take it all in. How amazing he smelled, the feel of his beard against her face, the bone-melting way his tongue carressed hers leaving her weak in the knees. They both jumped when the elevator chimed and the doors opened. There was someone standing there waiting to get on. She could feel her cheeks warm in embarrassment. That was the second time they'd been interupted today. 

They both stepped into the hall. She wasn't sure, but she thought she'd caught a hint of pink on his cheeks too. After the doors closed they both stood there awkwardly for a moment. He cleared his throat and said,

"My room okay?"

"Yeah." 

She was nervous and excited as she followed him to his room. After they closed the door he asked if she wanted a drink. He got them both a bottle of water out of the fridge. When he went to hand it her she placed her hand over his and stopped him.

"Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Because I didn't feel like it was right for me to, and I didn't want to hurt you. When I first met you, you seemed pretty happy with him."

"Four years ago, I was. I've grown up a lot since then, things changed I guess, I changed. Still, that's a very long time," she was truly amazed that the way he felt about her was deep enough, strong enough to endure for so long with nothing in return, but she also worried that her not knowing meant that she'd inadvertantly been hurting him all this time. He seemed to understand her train of thought. He sat both bottles down and took her hands in his, pulling her close.

"I did try to move on. I think I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I hadn't been very successful, but I didn't spend the whole time dwelling on it. Just being your friend is something special Bayley. If nothing had changed, I would still be happy to call you that and only that. You have a way of making everyone around you want to be more, to be better, to live up to the way you see us. I would have been happy if that was all I could ever be to you."

"You are so much more than just some friend to me Finn. You've always been more than that, I hope you know that. I wouldn't have been ready to hear it four years ago. I probably wouldn't have been ready even a year ago, and I don't know how you did it, but I'm grateful that you were still here when I was ready. I'm thankful I didn't miss this chance. You've always had a special place in my heart, but somewhere along the way I fell in love with you too."

His face softened, the look in his eyes was indescribable, and then he was kissing her again. At first she could practically feel the emotion, the affection in his kiss, but it quickly went from sweet to intense, like they'd finally released the pressure that had been building between them for so long and it had exploded in a wave of heat. His lips consumed hers, his tongue carressed hers and she could feel the heat burst into flames inside of her, desire racing under her skin, begging for his touch. He obliged without her asking pulling her up against him, hands running over her back and down over her ass. His hands cupped the curve and used the leverage it gave him to grind her body into his, both of them breaking away from the kiss to gasp in pleasure.

Both fought to catch their breath. He ran one hand up her body, softly carressing her stomach and the side of her breasts before he lightly fingered the thick strap of the black dress she'd worn for the party. It was a simple cut that fit her body like a glove, and she didn't mind his clear appreciation of that fact. When he finally spoke he said,

"As amazing as this dress looks on you, I'd rather take it off of you. Can I?"  The question surpised her a little in its bluntness, but she didn't hesitate to answer him,

"Yes."


	12. Chapter 12

He didn't say anything just slid his hand around to the back of her neck and slowly pulled the zipper down. Once it was released he slid both hands up her arms and gently peeled the dress off of her so that she stood before him in nothing but her underwear. She hadn't been planning for this tonight, so she was glad when she'd been dressing for the party that she'd had the matching set that she was currently wearing in her bag. She'd felt pretty when she'd put it on knowing the black lace looked nice against her naturally tan skin, but the way he looked at her now made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You are so Goddamn beautiful. I feel like I should pinch myself or something 'cause I must be dreaming. This is really happening right?" he asked. She'd been undoing the buttons on the dress shirt he was wearing, but his words made her freeze at the reminder that there was something she hadn't told him yet. He picked up on how she'd stiffened up and he asked,

"What?" confusion apparent in his voice.

"Um, I have a confession to make."

"What?" he asked again, this time more apprehensive. Before she could answer though she shivered as the cool air hit her bare skin, and he automatically pulled her close to warm her up. When her bare skin came up against his hard body, both were distracted by how good it felt and both moaned a little at the contact. After that though he shook his head a little as if to knock some sense back into it and said,

"Uh-uh, confession first then this." She stumbled over her words at first, but finally managed to spit it out,

"Um, I...I already knew."

"You already knew what?"

"How you felt. I mean, before tonight, before I overheard you talking to him."

"How? What do you mean?"

"Do you remember that night we got drunk and hung out at the hotel all night a couple of weeks ago?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, um, I guess you were dreaming, or you thought you were or something, but, um, you kind of told me."

"Fuck. You mean that was re...." he trailed off for a minute before asking, "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I was kind of in the middle of trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do about it. I knew I couldn't lose you Finn, so I had to make a choice."

"You had to make....Bayley I never meant for you to have to go through something like that."

"I know, but it was time. In a way I guess it was meant to be. We'd grown so far apart, but it was hard to distance myself from it enough to see that. It was the wake up call I needed," she said pushing the open dress shirt off his shoulders, leaving him in a tshirt and slacks. He wasn't to be distracted though and said,

"Still."

"I mean it. It sucked, yeah. Breaking up with someone is never easy, but I don't regret it. I wouldn't be standing here with you now, telling you I'm completely in love with you if you hadn't done that."

It looked like he was going to try to say more as she spoke, at least until she told him she loved him again. That had stopped in his tracks, a look of almost awe coming over his face. They both stood there for a moment breathing heavy staring at each other until they realized that she was still pressed against him in nothing but a few pieces of black lace, and then he was kissing her again, his warm palms and long fingers trailing over the naked skin of her back, pulling her tighter against him.

Once again what had started out as sweet quickly turned passionate. Desire consumed her as they broke away for air and he started placing feverish kisses along her jaw and neck. Chills raced up her spine when she felt his teeth scrape across her jugular, and she felt her knees weaken. She grasped onto him, nails sinking into his back through the soft tshirt he was still wearing, and suddenly she was desperate to feel his bare skin against hers. When she started pulling at the fabric he responded quickly, loosening his grip on her long enough to remove it.

The sight of his smooth skin made her mouth water and she couldn't stop herself from tasting him, placing an openmouthed kiss in the same sensitive spot that he'd made her weak with moments before, sucking gently at the skin and tasting the salt on her tongue. The vibration of his chest as he moaned in appreciation only spurred her on more, and for a few minutes she reveled in being able to make him weak.

He let her enjoy herself for a few minutes before he took back control, quickly turning the tables on her by releasing the clasp on her bra and discarding it, then lifting her and backing them up against the wall at the same time. She hit the wall with an 'oomph' feeling the cool, hard wall at her back in contrast to his hot mouth as it closed around her nipple

She felt her eyes roll back at the feel of him sucking and biting on the sensitive spot, sparks of desire shooting straight through her to the most intimate part of her body and making her feel desperate for even more. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, seeking friction, quickly releasing his belt and tugging it free when it got in the way. He gripped her ass with both hands helping her ride against him and making them both moan at the pleasure.

It hadn't taken them long to get to the point of no return, and she knew neither of them could take much more of the foreplay. She managed to half-whisper, half-moan,

"Bed," but he didn't need any more direction than that. He easily lifted her and carried her to the bed, depositing her at the end of it before stepping back enough to remove the rest of his clothing. He pushed his pants down off his hips, his heavy, beautiful cock bouncing back up as it was freed from the fabric. He stepped forward sliding his fingers up the outside of her thighs until he hooked them in the lace and pulled it free.

He stepped forward again, grasped her hips, and pulled her towards him until she could feel his hard length sliding against her wetness, the feeling unbearably intimate and yet so amazing. He paused for only a moment once he had them positioned right then entered her in one fluid motion, both of them gasping and overwhelmed at the feeling of finally being connected.

"Oh God," she moaned once he was fully inside of her, and he paused giving them both a moment to take in just how good it felt before he began a rythm in and out, slowly at first, but gaining momentum as he went. She was completely lost in it, the sensation too much, goosebumps across her skin as he hit her harder and harder, each time eliciting more and more pleasure, both of them desperatly seeking that feeling. She raked her nails down his back trying to get her grip, trying to both seek out and seek relief from the feeling building inside her.

"Fuck!" he moaned loudly in response, his voice rough and deep. He tightened his grip on her increasing the force even more and then neither could do anything but pant and moan as they drove each other further and further upward until she started to tremble. He buried his face in her neck, both of them sleeked with sweat, strands of her hair clinging to her skin. He exhaustedly kissed and nuzzled her neck anyway then whispered into her ear,

"Let go, my love, I have you,"

The words seemingly all she needed as she felt herself come apart at the seams, euphoria drenching every molecule of her being, consuming her until her vision went white and she lost track of reality in a sea of pleasure.

She was drifting as she could feel the pleasure finally ebbing away, could distantly feel the vibration, hear the sounds as he let go, she whispered 'love you,' not even sure he heard her before sleep took her.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry it took so long, but here it is the final part and epilogue for Playing With Fire. Enjoy!

.............

He could hear the sounds of her giggling with Sasha and it made him smile. She'd been so happy lately, and he knew part of it was that she was carrying a title again for the first time in well over a year, but he'd like to think he'd had at least a little bit to do with it too.

He still had to take a step back every now and then to remind himself that this was real. After all he'd been in love with his girl for over four years and had been certain that there was no hope of ever having the feeling returned. He hadn't even wanted her to know. He'd been so careful to hide it, afraid that if she found out that it would hurt her, but fate had intervened, and thank god for that. 

Now knowing what it was like to hold her, kiss her, and make her scream with his name on her lips, he didn't want to even think about how close he came to missing out on this. If it hadn't been for the fact that he talked in his sleep, that apparently the influence of painkillers made him spill his guts without a second thought, if it hadn't been for the fact that his girl was so brave and strong and willing to face her fears.

He couldn't even bear to think about it how easily things could have gone the other way. Not when he knew that she would be riding home with him tonight, when despite the fact that she had her own apartment, he thought of his home as theirs (something that had never happened with his previous girlfriend, and they'd dated for over two years where as he and Bayley had only been together a few months), and certainly not when he knew her dogsitter on a first name basis. He'd been the one to pick up Flex more often than not lately, knowing it would get his girl home to him that much faster.

He wouldn't trade this for anything, even if they made him give up his title tomorrow and he never held another title ever again. Some things in life were more important and waking up to her sweet face snuggled into his chest was worth more than all of the titles in the world.

Still it was amazing to think how different things were from just a few months ago. They hadn't won the mixed match challenge, something he still regretted a little because they'd gotten so incredibly close, and he could still picture just how amazing that would have been. If he hadn't gotten sick he was sure they would have pulled it off, but then he would remember how upset she was that he'd been sent home to recuperate and she couldn't go with him. She hadn't cared one bit about the loss, just about him getting better, and if his girl could let it go so easily then who was he to complain.

The loss hadn't hurt them in the long run either, in fact both of their careers had been on the upswing in recent months. He'd finally gotten a match against Brock Lesnar, and yeah he hadn't won, but he'd proven that he could go toe to toe with the beast, reminded the world that he was a force to be reckoned with, and then at Elimination chamber, on the same night he and his girl had finally captured titles again. Funny how even when their careers weren't directly linked they always seemed to be on the same wavelength. And while he'd been busy dealing with the endlessly annoying duo she'd been making history again, becoming one half of the inaugural women's tag team champions.

He remembered watching on the backstage monitors as they'd fought to make their dreams come true. Seth had watched intently with him, both of them excited and worried for their friends. They knew Sasha's shoulder wasn't a hundred percent yet, and of course he'd been twice as worried, and not just because they were his friends. He knew Bayley in and out, knew how protective she was of Sasha. He was afraid she would do something stupid to save her, but he shouldn't have been. He'd almost forgotten that Sasha could be just as protective of Bayley, and their strength was in that loyalty to each other.

When the match was over he'd looked up to see Seth smirking at him, and he'd asked him,

"What?" Seth's smug look making it come out defensive.

"Nothing man, it's just good to see you so unraveled for once. You never seemed to be bothered by anything and now you're all on pins and needles because of Bayley of all people." For a moment he'd been offended. He hated when people assumed that he shouldn't be with Bayley, like he was somehow too good for her, it both confused him and pissed him off, but Seth seemed to understand his train of thought because he'd held up both hands and said,

"Hey don't get all huffy, Bayley's one of my best friends. She's a total sweetheart and cool as hell, I'm not insulting her, or you for that matter. I just didn't expect it, you guys have always been so buddy-buddy, I just thought you had that brother-sister kind of relatioship." 

He'd kind of snorted at that, no way had he ever felt brotherly towards Bayley. Even when he'd been trying to fool himself into thinking he was over her, he'd still entertained the occasional very non-brotherly fantasy about his girl. Seth had kind of laughed self deprecatingly and said,

"I should have known though, now that I think about it. That night we played capture the flag, you couldn't keep your eyes off of her." The reminder made him smile. That had been the night he'd really reconnected with Bayley and had set this whole thing in motion, it was a good memory. He admitted to Seth,

"No I couldn't. You know she arranged all of that just to cheer me up, even though we'd been kind of distant for months."

"Yeah? Sounds like something she'd do."

"It does, doesn't it?" he said absently as he got lost in the memory for a moment before Seth had spoken again,

"Seriously though, I'm happy for you both. Just one thing," he paused catching his eye, "She is like a sister to me, so this is my obligatory warning, if you hurt her...." he trailed off not needing to finish, his point having been made.

"The warning isn't necessary. I waited four years for this chance, the last thing I'm going to do is hurt her." Seth had simply nodded and the subject was dropped. 

..........

He couldn't have been more proud of his girl when they won that night. She and Sasha had fought so hard to bring those titles into existence, and they deserved every second of glory they got from it. His smile widened as he got closer to where they were standing now. They had their heads together like children sharing secrets and the way she smiled at him when their eyes met made him curious to know just what kind of secrets they'd exchanged.

When he reached her he pulled her close briefly, nuzzling his face into her neck, his lips finding that soft spot just behind her ear that always made her shiver. When he pulled back to see her face her eyes had darkened, a tell that normally had him searching for someplace private so he could take it further, but Sasha clearing her throat loudly next to them reminded him that now wasn't the time unfortunately. 

Sasha only looked mildly annoyed, which to be honest was fair. She'd been around them more then just about anyone else, and had even walked in on them half undressed a time or two, if anyone had the right to be annoyed, she did. In fact she'd been more than tolerant of what she'd called their 'honeymoon phase' and he'd been grateful. Sasha had been friends with Bayley's ex, and she could have made things difficult on him, but she hadn't. She'd supported them, even seemed happy for them. The least he could do was try to respect those friendship boundaries and try not to make her too uncomfortable when he could help it.

Even if doing so was damn difficult with his girl looking at him like that. He was glad that tonight they were at Fullsail. She and Sasha had done a special appearance to help further the narrative that they were willing to take on any challengers from any brand. He'd mostly been there to support his girl, but he'd also brought his brother and young neice to the tapings. His neice seemed to really enjoy it, but she'd tired out hours ago and he'd let his brother use his car to take her home, figuring he could ride with Bayley.

He knew the drive back to his place was relatively short and he wouldn't have to wait too long before he could finally be alone with his girl. Well, sort of alone, his family was staying with him, but with young children he knew that by the time he and Bayley returned to his home, his company should have already turned in for the night and he would be able to take his girlfriend straight to bed, which was needless to say, what he planned to do.

They must have been distracted in each other longer than he thought because he heard Sasha laugh, half-frustrated, half-amused, and then she said,

"Well I was going to ask if you guys wanted to grab a beer with me and Mikaze, but I can see the answer to that already, so I guess I'll go find him and leave you two to make moon eyes at each other."

Bayley's cheeks turned pink and he felt bad, but he still couldn't take his eyes off of her. When they didn't move or say anything Sasha said,

"Well? What are you waiting on, go enjoy your night!" They were both stunned for a half a second longer before it occured to them that she'd essentially dismissed them so they could go do what they been wanting to do all night. Once it sunk in they didn't hesitate, waving at her laughing behind them as they went to find Bayley's car. 

When they reached her car, a purchase he'd help her make only a few weeks ago, she tossed the keys him at while she got her things settled in the back. By the time he pulled out on the road he was already keyed up, ready to touch her, ready to taste her, and it surprised him when she said,

"Are you sure you want me to stay tonight?" He looked at her like she'd grown a second head and said,

"I always want you to stay with me, why would tonight be any different?"

"Because you have company."

"Which is why the guest rooms are on the other side of the house," he replied, but his implication seemed to fluster her, her cheeks flushing pink, as she stumbled over her words,

"That's...um, that's not what I meant. It's just..this is still so new, and this is your family."

"Yeah, the same family that watched me pine after you for years, that teased me constantly once they realized I wasn't actually dating that girl I was always talking about. I don't think they're going to be too upset knowing I practically moved you in right after we started dating, if that's what you're worrying about. In fact I think they'd be more upset if it was the other way around. They adore you, love, and even more, they love how happy you've made me, don't worry about them."

"If you're sure..." she said, still somewhat hesitant even as he pulled into his driveway.

"I'm positive, now come on let's try to be quiet until we get to our room. I know I said they won't be upset, and I meant it, but I'd still rather not wake them. If I don't touch you soon I'm going to spontaneously combust, and late night chatter could be a serious detriment to my health." She rolled her eyes at him, but he was happy to note that the humor more than anything else seemed to have eased her nerves.

They were both very careful making their way through the house, opening and closing doors as silently as possible, using their phones to light the way, but as soon as they closed the bedroom door behind them all bets were off. He didn't give her a chance to think or analyze anything this time, pressing her hard against the back of the door and capturing her mouth in a searing kiss.

She moaned, her bags making a muffled thud on the floor as they fell from her arms, and then she was kissing him back with just as much enthusiasm. This area of their relationship had been just as easy as every other aspect of their friendship. It had come to them as natural as breathing, they simply fit, in every way.

It had been far too long since he could feel her skin against his, and it didn't take long before he was sliding his hands under her clothing, hearing her gasp as his open palm ran over her soft skin, pushing her shirt up until he could easily pull it over her head. He quickly found the clasp on her bra and it too found its way to the floor. She shivered against him, her eyes hooded, focused on him and what he would do next. She let out a soft moan which steadily increased in volume as he palmed her naturally heavy, full breasts, brushing his thumb across the nipple until it peaked to a hard point.

He could resist the temptation no longer, as his mouth closed around her, her moans turning to gasps and 'oh god's as she completely melted against him, sweet music to his ears. Nothing was better than knowing he could turn his girl into a puddle of goo, especially when it involved tasting her sweet, salty skin under his tongue. He loved every inch of her, could lick and suck every bit of her from head to toe when he had the time. For now though he was itching to get to the ooey gooey center of his dessert.

He picked her up carrying her to the bed and depositing her on the end of it. Her legs had naturally wrapped around him as he'd carried her, and he grasped the backs of her thick, muscular thighs, loving how they squeezed around him, but also being reminded that they still had a few barriers of clothing to take care of. She was still wearing those sinfully tight jeans with the strategically ripped spots that had been teasing him all night with little glimpses of her skin. His girl was a fucking treat--long legs, full ass, thick thighs--and those jeans did nothing to disguise it.

As soon her ass hit the bed he reached around and popped open the button and pulled down the zipper. The jeans might make a pretty wrapper but he wanted the present underneath. He grinned, enjoying the way she bit her lips and lifted her hips so he could peel them off, slowly because they clung to her like a second skin. As soon as he pulled them off his hands were back on her starting at her toes. Massaging the arches of her feet briefly he worked his way upwards, running his hands over her calves, carressing the soft skin behind her knees, grasping those lovely thighs again and pulling her forward so he could kiss the inside of them, working his way up until he reached his destination. Her soft gasps and moans a symphony to accompany him.

He finally placed a kiss right at her center, then gave her a long lick, finally tasting her tart sweetness, satisfying the craving that he'd been aching with all night. She arched off the bed pressing up into him and loudly gasped out his name. He smiled against her then continued to enjoy his dessert. He licked every inch of her until he finally found that little bundle of nerves. He sucked gently while she scratched and clawed at the sheets, the sounds she made becoming more and more desperate. He pressed one, then two fingers into her and curled them until he found that hidden spot inside of her, still sucking at her clit until she screamed, shaking violently against him.

He continued to hold on to her until the shaking gentled then he stepped back. He quickly pulled off his own clothing, still feeling a bit of smug satisfaction that he could make his girl come apart like that, but when he crawled up on the bed to lay next to her she glanced up at him through her lashes, and that sweet smile turned wicked. Before he'd had a chance to process, her mouth closed around his nipple, and it was his turn to gasp out loud. She didn't stop there, trailing hot, wet kisses across his abs, stomach, hip bones. He managed to gasp out,

"Bayley, love, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" she said as she gently scraped her teeth across his hip, making him arch off the bed. He barely managed to get out a reply,

"You're supposed to be too weak and boneless to do anything so soon, I'll have to work harder next time," he said half-laughing, half-moaning.

She grinned wickedly at him again and said,

"You're welcome to try," before he mouth enclosed around him and he couldn't think anymore.

She was a fucking goddess, all sweetness and light hiding a hellcat underneath. Her hand wrapped around the base of him while her mouth took him in deep, her tongue tracing along the veins and swirling around the head, until he was trembling, coiled tight trying to hold onto his control. She knew every little trick to drive him crazy and she was going to make him explode way too quickly if he didn't stop her soon.

He buried his hand in her hair twisting it around his fingers until he had a good grasp on it, then told her to stop. He knew from experience the command wouldn't be enough, and he slowly pulled back on her hair until she released him. She pouted at him and licked her lips, but he was not going to cum in her mouth and besides he also knew she enjoyed having her hair pulled. He tugged a little more bringing her face up to his and taking her lips in a kiss, swallowing the moan she released at the same time. 

For a moment he just enjoyed her lips, but when her nails started digging into him he knew she wanted more and he released her mouth. He surprised her by flipping her around and sitting up, pulling her into his lap and sliding into her slowly from behind. He pulled her back up to his chest, his hand still tangled in her hair, her head back against his shoulder leaving her neck exposed to him. He began a rythym in and out, slowly kissing and then biting at her neck, keeping in time, punctuating his hard thrusts simultaneously with his teeth until she was panting and gasping in pleasure. 

Her hands searched frantically for something grab onto. One dug into the arm he had clasped just under her breasts, holding her steady, the other reached up and around until her fingers grasped into his short hair, tugging hard. He didn't mind, especially when her pants turned to desperate moans and he knew she was close. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer himself, but he refused to give in until his girl was fulfilled first. He moved the arm he had wrapped around her down until his fingers slid in her slick folds and found her clit. He'd barely touched her before she screamed his name and he could finally let himself let go.

After they'd both relaxed he gently laid them back down on the bed pulling the sheet up and over them and pulling her in close. She turned towards him and kissed him lightly and said,

"I love you."

"I love you too, so damn much. Do me a favor though love."

"What?"

"Don't ever doubt whether I want you here again, please."

"I know you want me here, Finn. It wasn't that I doubted that, it's just because of your family. We haven't been together that long, I didn't want to make them uncomfortable."

"Look at me sweetheart," he said searching her face until her eyes met his, "I know it's too soon to talk about marriage and forever and all that, so don't freak out on me when I say this, but you're it for me. My heart knew it the moment I met you, and my family knew it just as well. They would wonder what was wrong if you weren't here."

He was tense for a moment, afraid that the admission would scare her despite his warning, but the way she smiled softly at him, and said 'Okay' put him at ease. She laid her head on his chest, and he threaded his fingers into her hair, holding her close as they both drifted to sleep.


End file.
